Chapter 2: A Quiet Morning

Jamila awoke groggily to the sound of yelling. She opened her eyes and was shocked to find she was back in her room. The sun was high in the sky, casting light over the whole room. Her body felt stiff and heavy, but her mind felt clearer than she expected. She turned her head to see Jaziel arguing with the head physician.

“I don’t care if she said she wanted to be alone! Your job is to make sure the crown doesn’t die!” he screamed. The pitch of his voice was enough to make her head throb.

“But… Prince… My Lord…” the rounder man began. “If the Empress says something… I must obey. No one here at the time could speak against it.”

The bickering continued until Jamila started to get frustrated. The last thing she wanted in her reign was for someone to be punished for a decision she had made. No matter how stupid that decision had been. She let out a long sigh. Shin was probably going to give her an earful in her next letter too.

She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the first part of the inevitable onslaught.

“Jaz.”

Jaziel froze. He turned around in the blink of an eye and hurried to her bedside. Jamila lifted a heavy arm and Jaziel took it without a second’s delay.

“Jam… You’re awake! How are you feeling?” Anxiety filled his eyes as he looked her over.

She smiled dimly. “Thirsty… what happened?”

Jaziel glanced at the servants, and one quickly poured the Empress a glass of water. Jaziel assisted his sister up. Jamila flinched. Something throbbed painfully between her legs.

“You were bleeding out,” Jaziel said through gritted teeth as he took the water from the maid and held it to Jamila’s mouth. She took it herself and pushed his overprotective arm away.

“You had quite a laceration… We had to stitch it to stop the bleeding,” the physician said sheepishly as Jaziel glared at him. Jamila sighed once more and nodded to show she understood.

“Thank you for saving me,” she said with a bright smile. The doctor bowed in response. Then he eyed her anxiously.

“If it’s not too much trouble, Your Majesty…” His tone was hesitant. He paused for a moment until Jamila nodded for him to continue.

“If you ever have another child… Please consider having a physician with you. My heart would be grateful,” he said, his eyes ever so carefully drifting toward Jaziel. Jamila smiled but tried her best not to laugh and draw more of her brother’s ire. Thankfully, Jaziel wasn’t paying much attention to the older man.

Another child, huh? After this whole situation she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to go through it again. And she knew the only man she would consider having another child with would probably feel the same after reading her letter. Not that they would be close enough to even hold hands, let alone that.

“Can I get up?” she asked hesitantly. The physician shook his head.

“You lost a lot of blood… I recommend staying in your suite for a week, Your Majesty,” he said sternly, but there was still a gentleness there. Jamila’s eyes widened. She was bound to her room for a whole week? She felt like a child again.

“I have work—”

“Everything that needs your eyes and approval will be brought to you first thing every morning. I will handle the rest.” Jaziel interrupted. One day home and he was already managing the palace. She wondered if he even knew how to relax.

She sighed once more. “I understand…”

Something pricked at the back of Jamila’s mind. Something important but she couldn’t quite place what. Her head felt foggy. But she knew it was too quiet in here for some reason.

I thought babies were loud…

The thought slipped through the haze. Her eyes widened as horror stiffened her body. She looked anxiously around her room. Everything was still the same… seating area, window seat, desk, even her closet. No baby. Shani was not here.

She grabbed the collar of Jaziel’s shirt, pulling him closer. Jaziel’s eyes widened.

“Where is Shani?!”

Tears cascaded down Jamila’s cheeks. Jaziel glanced behind him at the servants, who looked just as shocked. He nodded, and the servants bowed before exiting the room. He let out a sigh and gently took Jamila’s hands, pulling them off of his shirt.

“She is in the attached nursery. Nimue has been with her.” He patted the backs of her hands. Jamila took a calming breath before looking towards the pair of wooden doors connecting her room to the nursery. Right… the nursery. Her lips formed a thin line.

“I need her in here.” Jamila’s voice was firm. Demanding.

“She’s perfectly safe. She’s still wearing the bracelet. Besides it’s norm—”

“When you have a child, you can tell me what’s normal. I need my daughter now.” She pulled her hands away, and Jaziel froze for a moment. She was sure he thought she was acting hysterical. But she couldn’t rest easy. She needed her close by, and she refused to force her daughter to wear the bracelet all the time. She had probably been wearing it much too long already.

Jaziel sighed but nodded. He walked over to the adjoining doors and motioned for someone inside. A maid she didn’t recognize walked in holding Shani. Confusion crossed the young woman’s face. Jaziel quietly instructed the maid, and a moment later she approached Jamila.

“Nimue is eating lunch… I was just about to feed the princess…” the maid said, her eyes never meeting Jamila’s. Jamila took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

“Thank you… but I think I can handle it from here.” Jamila extended her arms. The maid nodded, placed the baby in her arms, then bowed and excused herself.

Jamila looked over her daughter. She was glad to see the wrinkles had cleared up. She looked much cuter now, which Jamila felt guilty even thinking. She began to adjust the top of her nightgown.

“What are you doing?!” Jaziel exclaimed. She looked up to see his face turn bright pink. Jamila sighed and cocked her head.

“What do you think? She needs to eat,” she said with a bored expression.

“I… I understand but—”

“If you can’t handle me feeding my daughter, you are more than welcome to excuse yourself,” she said as she began fiddling with the buttons on her nightgown. Jaziel stiffened.

“I… I will go prepare to have some of the nursery moved in here,” he stuttered before he hurried from the room. Jamila couldn’t help the laugh that escaped as soon as he was gone. And he thought of her as a child.

Boy, was he in for a surprise when he finally married his fiancée, Iselle, and they had a child.

Shani was a few months old, and Jamila had settled into a new rhythm with Jaziel and the staff. Jaziel was… different. He still treated her according to her title and was kind to her, but she had begun to notice he used her nickname less and less.

Iselle’s father had finally given his consent to the match, and the wedding followed soon after. Jaziel insisted on a small affair, claiming he had too much work to do, though by royal standards, small was still quite lavish. Neither the bride nor groom seemed especially happy about it. They seemed content, though, which Jamila supposed would have to do. Still… she wished for her brother’s happiness.

Jamila liked Iselle, even if she found the woman’s habit of speaking in circles strange. Her father seemed even less pleased by the arrangement, though Jamila suspected that had less to do with Jaziel and more to do with the man’s reputation as a doting father to his four girls.

Once everything was finalized, Jaziel and his bride moved into the east wing of the palace, each getting their own suite with an adjoining chamber. Jaziel requested that, and Iselle was all too happy to oblige. Jamila didn’t bother with that. She had too much to do as it was to worry about her brother’s marital bliss. He would figure it out.

Today, she sat at her desk in her room. The morning sun was just beginning to crest over the horizon, turning the sky shades of red and orange. Shani slept close by, resting in a small basket as she worked. She looked quite content after her morning feeding.

Jamila wasn’t awake so early to simply feed her daughter. That was simply lucky timing on Shani’s part. Today, she was waiting. It was the one day each month she had to wake at this ungodly hour.

Jamila tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, biting her lip as she scanned the documents spread across her desk, impatience vibrating through her whole body. They should have been here by now. Shani let out a soft coo. Jamila looked over to see her daughter’s lavender eyes staring straight at her.

A smile pulled at Jamila’s lips as she took in her delicate pointed ears and beautiful warm skin. Early mornings without the bracelet were truly a blessing.

“Did I wake you, love?” she asked as she gently stroked Shani’s ear. A giggle escaped, and Jamila froze. Shani laughed. For the first time, her daughter had laughed.

She wanted to scream, run, laugh, yell, but a tapping at the window pulled her attention away. A pale hawk perched on the ledge, its feathers catching the light with a subtle, iridescent sheen as it tapped impatiently at the glass. A smile spread across her lips.

She set her papers aside, and as quietly as she could, opened the window. She never knew whose eyes were watching. And with Jaziel now taking charge of palace logistics and security… she didn’t want him to find out about her pen pal. Not yet.

The bird flew excitedly around the room. It chirped much louder than she wanted.

“Shhh! Skye!” she hissed as quietly as she could. The bird barely seemed to care. It landed on the edge of Shani’s basket and peered down at the child as it did every month. Shani rolled to her side and reached for the iridescent hawk. It always impressed Jamila how quickly Shani was developing her motor skills.

Sullivian genetics were truly a marvel… and exhausting.

Jamila reached toward Skye. She tugged gently at the letter in the bird’s mouth. The hawk refused to let go. Jamila’s brows knitted together in frustration as Shani giggled once more.

“Skye… If you don’t release it, I will tell Shin to cook you in my next letter,” she hissed. The bird was quite large, about the height of a toddler, which made removing anything from its beak incredibly difficult whenever it decided it wanted to play.

She struggled for a moment more before the bird finally released the letter. Jamila sighed, tucking her mess of waves once more behind her ears. She glared playfully at the bird before turning her attention to the letter in her hand. She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her the moment she opened it.

Inside was a large folded piece of paper, though the page contained only two sentences. Her lips curved as she read the Sullivian words.

You’re being good, right princess? Don’t hurt yourself.

Underneath the simple sentence was a much smaller note. The ink pooled slightly at the beginning.

How’s Shani?

-Shin. Not Ruby.

Her heart swelled as she read the words. She traced a finger over the rough lines of his writing as a tear streamed down her cheek. She pressed a soft kiss to the note before standing and walking over to the fireplace, which was still lit due to the chill in the air.

She took a deep breath and threw the letter into the open flames. She watched silently, tears spilling over as her lips quivered. Once the letter was gone, she wiped at her face, forcing a smile back into place.

Skye watched her curiously with a cocked head. She gently brushed her fingers over the bird’s soft feathers.

“Secret.” She pressed a finger to her lip. She felt ridiculous. But being ridiculous made her heart feel lighter. She sat at the desk once more and reached for a quill and paper.

Ruby! You will never believe it! Shani laughed and actually reached for Skye! She is growing so fast. She’s gotten so big already. Most people mistake her for six months! So… thanks a lot for that, I guess. When she’s no longer light enough to carry, I blame you.

She paused, her quill hovering over the page, before continuing.

I am being safe. I am healthy. And we are happy.

Your mate, Jam.

Her lips trembled as she stuck the letter into an envelope and sealed it tightly with wax. She turned and offered it to the bird, who took it without her having to chase it this time. She smiled gratefully.

“Please deliver this safely to Shin, Skye,” she murmured. Without a second delay, Skye departed. The wind her wings created caused all of Jamila’s documents to dance in the air. She quickly grabbed the ones that were trying to escape out the window. A sigh escaped her as she retrieved the last offender.

The hawk was already gone. Only the empty sky remained. For a long moment, Jamila continued staring at the sky. The room suddenly felt much colder.

She prayed the month would pass quickly.